


Awkward Smiles

by orphan_account



Series: Cotton Candy Fluff [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AND YET HERE I AM, Dang it I really didn't mean to ship this, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 09:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6951631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The desire to find her happy ending became even worse when there was a face to go with it. Bright, overly-smiley, and absolutely gut-twisting, Cat hated everything about that puppy dog smile or rather, she hated herself for not being able to push back the desire for her former assistant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched the show and gosh dang it I did not mean to ship things but Tumblr convinced me and then I ended up here so FINE! Lemme know what you think here or on [Tumblr](https://rose-by-the-sea.tumblr.com/)!

Catherine Jane Grant did not believe in happily ever afters. Her mother never read those sorts of stories to her when she was a child, and while her father had, his death only seemed to enforce the fact that happy endings only ever happened in fantasy worlds. Cat tried to rationalize away her disappointment at that. Oftentimes, she was able to forget her lack of a happy ending, instead getting lost in her accumulation of power and respect. In fairness, Cat had Carter and in some form or another, that was a happy ending.

Still, there were times in Cat’s life that she wished she had someone to crawl into bed with. Cat had no expectation of someone shouldering her life’s many burdens for her, but, if only for an instant, she wanted a safe haven. It was not unreasonable, she thought, to desire something like that, but so far as she could tell, it was beyond Cat’s reach.

The desire to find her happy ending became even worse when there was a face to go with it. Bright, overly-smiley, and absolutely gut-twisting, Cat hated everything about that puppy dog smile or rather, she hated herself for not being able to push back the desire for her former assistant. Kara, for all her powers that Cat pretended to know nothing about, was apparently oblivious about those feelings. Every time Cat spoke with her, she had to force her breathing to stay calm and prayed to a God Cat didn’t think she believe in that her heart rate would stay steady.

Yet when Kara was leaning a bit too close, glasses hanging on the end of her nose, Cat almost wished Kara would notice. It would be so easy to cut Kara’s long winded explanation of the layout with a quick kiss, but Cat couldn’t. Cat prided herself on her bravery, but somehow, next to Kara, she lacked all courage.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Cat said. Besides the two of them, the office was empty, and Cat couldn’t stand the silence. It weighed too heavily when Kara was the only one to share in it.

Kara, of course, did not notice Cat’s quiet rumination. A smile spread on Kara’s lips — she was always smiling and half the time Cat didn’t know why, though she always wondered — and she looked over at the clock. “Oh wow, it’s really late. I’m sorry, Carter’s probably wondering where you are.”

“Carter’s with his father for the evening,” Cat explained wearily. It wasn’t information Kara needed to know, but she was tired and it left her mouth before she could think on whether or not it was something she ought to share.

“Oh.” At least there was no judgement in the syllable. “Okay, well, I guess I’m gonna get something to eat.”

Cat watched as Kara gathered her things from the table. She moved with a strange combination of urgency and delicacy, making Cat wonder how much strength she was holding back as she collected the papers and shoved them into her bag. Cat still did not have an explanation for the two blondes with puppy-dog eyes in her office from before, but there were stranger things in the world and Cat would be patient in getting her answer.

All of Kara’s things were put away, but the girl was still lingering. Cat raised an eyebrow expectantly at her, sending Kara into an awkward stumble for the door. “Goodnight, then,” she muttered in a way Cat refused to find adorable. Cat nodded her head once in acknowledgement.

She was already imagining her night alone on the couch, eating leftovers, and watching a bad movie on t.v. It was so close to coming to fruition, but of course Kara had to hesitate at the door. She spun around quickly, her lips pursed in question, yet not saying a thing.

“Can I help you, Kiera?” Cat bit her tongue immediately after asking.

“I was just wondering if,” Kara hesitated and Cat bit down on the inside of her cheek sharply. “Well, it’s just you haven’t eaten dinner right? I was just wondering if you wanted to get dinner?”

That certainly hadn’t been the question Cat’d been expecting. “Dinner.”

“With me,” Kara added, as if that much hadn’t been obvious. “I mean, if you want. I know you’re busy, but if Carter isn’t home, I don’t know, you might be hungry and stuff.”

Kara was babbling nonsense at that point and Cat hated the way her stomach knotted tightly. She was beautiful, pushing her glasses up self consciously with one hand and the other playing with a flap on her bag. Cat knew she shouldn’t say yes. Saying yes would mean an hour more of biting her tongue and ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

“Fine.”

Kara’s face lit up before Cat could even realize what she’d said. “Really? There’s this place within walking distance that I’ve wanted to try for a while. It’s a burger joint—” Her face fell for a moment and she shook her head almost violently. “You probably don’t eat burgers, do you? Do you have a place you want to go? I’ll pay.”

Cat smirked as she grabbed her coat and bag and made her way to Kara’s side. “Burgers are fine.”

The grin on Kara’s face seemed to grow impossibly wider at that, causing a sinking sensation in Cat’s stomach. It might have felt nice if she wasn’t so overwhelmingly terrified by the night to come. Once they entered the elevator, Kara started explaining her thoughts on an article one of their newest reporters had written, with Cat only half listening. The conversation continued all the way to restaurant, cut short by Kara opening the door for Cat.

It wasn’t the sort of place Cat would ever enter without Carter — the food was ordered and paid for in the front to a greasy haired boy with a lazy smile and the decor was cheesy. Cat’s nose wrinkled automatically before she could stop it.

“You don’t like it?” Kara asked, her voice soft and nervous.

Cat shrugged off her question. “Let’s just eat.”

She shouldn’t have been, but Cat was surprised by the sheer amount of food Kara ordered. After placing her own order, Cat handed her credit card to the boy behind the counter.

“Hey, I said I was going to pay!”

Cat blinked at her. “I know exactly how much you make. You are not paying.”

Kara murmured a quiet protest again, looking back and forth between the board and Cat, but it seemed foolish to argue the point any further. They were both aware of Cat’s salary and how much she was used to spending on meals — a burger joint was nothing, even with Kara’s extreme appetite.

It was easy to find a booth, due to the late hour. Kara let Cat choose and slid across from her, still smiling brightly at her. “Can I ask you something?”

Cat took a sip from her water and nodded with extreme hesitation. It was Kara — sweet, innocent, kind Kara — the question couldn’t be that terrible.

“What do you normally do when Carter’s out of town?”

Cat exhaled audibly, extremely thankful that was it. Perhaps it crossed a line, but Cat had just bought her dinner and they were sitting across from each other in a tasteless restaurant where anyone could walk by and see them. “I’m either working or going to work functions,” she answered, as if there was any other answer to the question.

“No one—” Kara cut herself off quickly and Cat tried to convince herself that there wasn’t a blush creeping across Kara’s cheeks. “I mean, I guess that’s not surprising.”

“No,” Cat said with a click of the tongue. “It’s really not.”

Kara was worrying her bottom lip in an all too endearing manner. It wasn’t supposed to be seductive, Cat reasoned, but it was. “Carter’s a really good kid, by the way. I’m sure you know that, but he really is.”

“He is.” A smile found its way onto Cat’s face, as it did nearly every time Carter’s name was mentioned. “I’ve gotten lucky with him.”

“I don’t think it’s luck. He was raised by an amazing woman.” Kara beamed at her. “I really admire you.”

Cat refused to blush at the kind words and convinced herself that her smile was because of Cater, not Kara. “Shut up, Kiera.”

“I mean it.” Kara looked up at her with irritatingly beautiful eyes. Cat wanted to wipe the look off of her face, but the only ways to do so that were coming to mind were highly inappropriate. “Thank you. For paying, I mean, I didn’t thank you earlier.”

“No, you didn’t.” It was supposed to be a jab, but it came out like a joke and Kara grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Their food arrived relatively quickly, due to the lack of other customers. Kara looked visibly pained to not scarf it all down at once, causing Cat to chuckle lowly. She appreciated the attempt at politeness, but if it wasn’t for her supposedly not knowing Kara’s secret, Cat would’ve given her permission to eat it at her own pace. Then again, that wouldn’t have been in character for the Queen of All Media.

The conversation had shifted away from Cat, for which she was extremely grateful, and back towards Catco. It was a comfortable conversation, the sort of thing that gave Cat some grounding. But in Kara’s excitement over some recent project, she payed a bit less attention to how quickly she ate. A bit of sauce went unnoticed by Kara on her cheek.

Without even thinking, Cat grabbed a napkin, wetted it with her tongue, and wiped the speck off. When she realized what she was doing, Cat pulled back quickly to see a fierce blush creeping up Kara’s neck. Not only that, Kara was staring at her with an open mouth.

Cat forced a mask onto her face. “Close your mouth when you chew,” she ordered.

Kara nodded dumbly and swallowed. Cat stared her directly in the eye — looking away would be weakness and Catherine Jane Grant did not show weakness. Not to former assistants who smiled too often and too brightly. Kara’s blush did not move from her face. They ate the rest of their meals in silence, Kara sneaking glances every now with Cat raising an eyebrow each time.

Before they were finished, Kara somehow managed to muster up enough courage to ask, “Are you seeing anyone?”

It came out as a squeak, high-pitched and clearly terrified, and Cat had to pause for a moment to make sure she’d heard it correctly.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you seeing anyone?” Kara repeated, still shaking. “Romantically, I mean.”

“I think that’s none of your business,” Cat said slowly. Well, that was unexpected. “You’re still my employee, Kiera.”

Kara squirmed in her seat, clearly still wanting to speak, but having lost all courage to do so. Cat forced herself not to act too quickly. There were strangers all around, the restaurant was tasteless, and Cat was still trying to process what had actually been asked of her.

They were finished after roughly two more minutes of painful silence. Cat found herself smirking down at her unfinished fries, the butterflies in her stomach suddenly taking on a pleasant quality. Even without super hearing, she could tell that Kara’s heart was racing too quickly.

“Come with me,” Cat ordered once Kara was done, her voice dropping an octave. Kara looked startled by the order, but followed Cat out of the restaurant, saying nothing as Cat’s hand clasped around her wrist possessively.

Cat pulled her into an alley slightly out of sight from the busy streets of National City and pushed Kara up against a brick wall. It was thrilling, having that sort of control over Kara, knowing full well she wouldn’t stand a chance against the alien’s strength.

“I am not in a romantic relationship,” Cat murmured. She moved her hands to Kara’s hips and leaned in, lips brushing against Kara’s ear. “So there is absolutely nothing to stop me from kissing you, unless you tell me not to.”

The stutter that came from Kara made her shiver. This was most definitely not the way Cat expected the night to end, but she was never one to pass up an opportunity. It was probably a mistake, but knowing Kara returned her feelings in at lease some form gave Cat an electric form of courage that she couldn’t help but act on.

Kara was still staring at her dumbfounded, so Cat prompted her with a, “Well?”

“Please.” Her voice cracked on the word. “Kiss me.”

Cat leaned forward and pressed her lips into Kara’s, almost groaning at the contact. When she pulled back, Kara’s eyes were still closed and her lips were parted, slightly pulled upwards into a smile Cat had never quite seen before.

It wasn’t a happy ending. Cat refused place that expectation on her, but as she leaned back in to kiss Kara once more, it didn’t feel entirely out of reach. For the first time in her life, she at least understood why some people believed in happy endings. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should be writing essays, instead I'm writing fanfic. Good life priorities.
> 
> Didn't intend on writing a sequel, but I did so that's good, right? Will probably write further possibly unrelated fluff. Find me on [Tumblr](https://rose-by-the-sea.tumblr.com/) if you want to request something specific/share a headcanon.

Every time Kara caught a glimpse of Cat in the halls of CatCo, her lips started tingling, despite the fact it had been over four days since they’d been pressed against Cat’s. It was ridiculous — Cat hadn’t even spoken to her since that night, not really — and even though Kara wanted to kiss her again, that didn’t seem possible. Not until they talked, at least, which, so far as Kara could tell, was not going to happen.

Kara found herself wandering aimlessly long after most of the other employees had gone home for the evening. It was foolish to hope that she might run into Cat, but Kara was grasping at straws. Every time she replayed the night over in her head, she couldn’t understand why Cat hadn’t spoken to her yet. Cat had been the one to kiss her, to leave an undeniable mark of proof on her neck. True, Kara had been the one to pull away, but only because of a call from Alex and she’d apologized profusely. Based on the smirk Cat’d been wearing, Kara hadn’t thought she’d been that offended, but it was the only reason she could think of as to why Cat was avoiding her.

Kara glanced at her computer’s clock and saw it was almost nine-thirty. Everyone else was gone and while Kara still had a deadline to meet by the morning, she didn’t have to do it in the office. Cat was almost definitely gone, too, back at home with Carter, so there was no point in sticking around. Normally on nights when she had the office to herself, Kara would fly home, but she craved coffee. Tragically, the caffeine of it had no affect, but habits were habits.

She took the elevator down to the first floor and went into the coffee shop across the street, extremely thankful for the fact they wouldn’t close for another thirty minutes. The barista wasn’t a familiar face, which was strange considering that after two years of picking up Ms. Grant’s lattes and, on occasion, her own beverage, Kara was on a first name basis with nearly all the staff. She placed an order — she was positive the amount of chocolate and sugar in it disqualified it from really being coffee — and took a seat on the counter to wait.

Thirty seconds into tapping at her phone, Kara jumped at a hand on her shoulder. “Hello there.”

Kara gaped up at Cat Grant, amazed that she hadn’t noticed the woman’s presence before. “H-Hi?”

Cat smirked at the question-like greeting, still standing over her with arms crossed. By the warmth in her face, Kara was certain that she was a bright shade of red. After a few seconds of gears turning furiously in her head, Kara managed to recognize two thoughts going through her head: lust and frustration. While she was semi-irritated with Cat for not talking to her before this moment, it was hard to think about that with Cat leaning so closely to her.

“We should talk,” Cat said lowly, eyes flickering down to Kara’s lips for a moment. It made Kara’s head spin. Still, the words slightly angered her.

“Why now?” It sounded sad rather than angry, but her tone had a visible effect. Cat’s face softened and while she regained her composure almost instantly, the fierceness was gone from it. Kara almost wanted to apologize.

“You’re mad at me.” Cat didn’t phrase it as a question so Kara didn’t answer. She just waited for Cat to continue. “Is this because I haven’t spoken to you at work?”

Kara nodded weakly. “I just don’t get it. I mean, you kissed me and then—”

“Kara.” It was hard not to shiver at the sound of her name being pronounced correctly. “At CatCo, regardless of everything, I am still your boss, and it would be highly inappropriate for us to have that sort of conversation there.”

As much as she hated to admit it, Kara hadn’t thought of that. “It just felt like you were avoiding me,” she murmured weakly.

Cat smirked and leaned impossibly close, her breath hot against Kara’s ear. “Well, I might have been afraid that if I was in a room alone with you, I wouldn’t be able to keep things appropriate.”

If the barista hadn’t called her name at that moment, Kara probably would’ve pulled Cat into her lap there and then. That smirk was absolutely unfair. “I’ve gotta,” Kara said slowly, “Go. Get drink. My drink, get my drink.”

Cat raised an eyebrow, her lips quirked upwards. Kara almost fell off her stool as she went to grab her plastic cup. The barista threw her a knowing smile and Kara choked slightly on the beverage. She was practically shaking when she turned around to face Cat.

“Come back up to my office with me,” Cat commanded. Kara supposed she could refuse, but she wasn’t naive enough to think that was ever going to happen.

Kara followed her out, brain speeding and stumbling over itself. “I thought you went back home?”

“I forgot my phone,” Cat admitted. She waved the paper bag with the coffee shop’s logo in her hands. “Carter asked me to pick up some pastries, too.”

Kara found the knowledge adorable, picturing Carter giving his mother puppy dog eyes and Cat, of course, caving in. “That’s sweet of you.”

Cat hummed her acknowledgement. She seemed to be deep in thought and while Kara wanted very much to ask her what she was thinking of, the fear of scaring Cat into silence kept her mouth shut. The security guard at CatCo was within earshot and given the fact Cat had dragged her into an alley to kiss her away from strangers’ prying eyes, Cat wouldn’t take the risk of talking about such a personal matter in front of him.

Once they entered the private elevator, though, Kara couldn’t keep herself from refraining any longer. “So talking?”

“I owe you an apology, don’t I?” Kara didn’t know how to answer that, especially when it was followed by a low chuckle and the shake of the head. “I’m sorry for ignoring you and for not trying to talk to you sooner. However, you do realize you could have come to me if it was bother you so much?”

Kara fiddled with the fabric of her cardigan. “I don’t think you realize how difficult that can be.”

There was silence for a beat and Kara was terrified she’d ruined everything, but then Cat simply said, “We’ll have to work on that.” Her eyes went wide and Cat straightened into a stiff, board-like stance as she realized the implications of what just escaped her lips. “Add that to the list of things to talk about,” she muttered under he breath angrily.

“Thank you for apologizing,” Kara said softly. She took another sip of her drink and tried to think of something to say. “What exactly am I to you?”

Cat’s sigh was audible. “I don’t know, Kara. Not yet.”

“Oh, okay.” It wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for, but it wasn’t awful, either. The elevator’s doors opened and Kara followed Cat out. The emptiness of the office was staggering. “It’s just, if you want us to be just a casual thing, that’s fine. Just tell me. But if you want something more,” Kara took a deep breath. “If you want something more, I’d like that.”

The smile on Cat’s lips made Kara’s heart flutter. “More?”

“Like dating?” Kara offered, daring to raise her hopes. “Dinner, movies, that sort of stuff.”

“It has been a very long time since I’ve dated,” Cat said slowly. “Are you sure you have the patience to put up with me?”

Kara didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”

“Kara, I need you to think about this. Really think. You’re young. God, you’re my former assistant. I can see the headlines now.” They were standing by Cat’s desk at that point, Cat leaning against her desk and tapping the surface impatiently. “Even without all of that, I’m twice your age. With a son. I can’t possibly be worth this.”

“I really feel like that’s for me to decide.” Kara stepped forward, heart beating out of her chest and smile almost painfully wide. Regardless of how self-berating it all was, Cat was admitting she wanted more than a series of flings. That most definitely inspired hope. “Do you want a relationship with me?”

“Yes,” Cat breathed. Kara couldn’t think of a time she’d heard more perfect sounding word. “But Kara—”

“We don’t have to figure it all out right now,” Kara cut her off. “We can take it one step at a time, no one has to know straight away.”

“Kara,” Cat whispered, her eyes closed shut.

“Please,” Kara whispered back.

“You’re standing on my shoe,” Cat pointed out, her voice still strained. Kara jumped back immediately and started apologizing profusely, but Cat shut her up quickly by kissing her. Kara’s apologies died in her throat against Cat’s lips, moaning when contact was lost. Cat smirked against Kara’s neck before placing a kiss against the pulse point. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

Kara let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Absolutely not.”

“We’ll see,” Cat hummed, finally pulling back to grab her phone from the desk. Kara was still standing unfairly close to her, making it impossible to fully clear her head. The only think keeping her from pinning Kara to the desk was a text from Carter asking if she had her phone or not. “I need to get back home.”

There was no denying the look of disappointment on Kara’s face, but she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

Without thinking, Cat ran a hand through Kara’s hair, admiring the softness of it against her fingers. “I will take you on a proper date soon, I promise. But I don’t want you to feel offended if I don’t acknowledge any of this at work tomorrow.”

“All's good here,” Kara said with a laugh. “As long as I get to do that again at some point, then yes, we’re one hundred percent good.”

Cat rolled her eyes but kissed her once more. “Deal, but now I’ve really got to go home to Carter.”

“Okay. Good night,” Kara murmured. “I should get back to work.”

“Yes, you should. It’s still due tomorrow,” Cat was walking out of her office towards her elevator, smirking proudly. “Are you coming?”

Kara shook her head. “I’m going to finish in my office if that’s okay.”

Cat raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that Kara would voluntarily in that glorified supply closet, but shrugged. “Make sure to get some sleep.”

Once Cat had left the vicinity of the building, Kara decided flying home was the way to go, after all. The night was to beautiful to resist the urge. 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I just *belong* in the trash.


End file.
